Bulgaars schema voor toetreding tot EU is krap (en)

EUOBSERVER / BRUSSELS - Bulgaria should sign the EU accession treaty on 25 April, as planned, according to EU Commissioner for Enlargement Olli Rehn after his meeting with the Bulgarian Minister for European Affairs Mégléna Kunéva.

"I trust the opinion will be positive and the treaty will be signed on 25 April", Commissioner Rehn said.

He insisted, however, that this did not mean the Bulgarian government should now "relax until 1 January 2007", when the country is due to obtain full EU membership.

Whilst pointing out the progress Bulgaria has made in some areas, such as "securing the EU's external borders", and the respect of human rights and minorities, the Enlargement Commissioner warned there were still "plenty of things to do".

Mr Rehn mentioned that Bulgaria has yet to complete the reform of its judicial system and that it must focus on the functioning of its internal market.

In reply, Mrs Kunéva said, "We are completely aware of the efforts to be made, and there are no question marks about what there is to do".

The Bulgarian Minister also pointed out another field in which she hoped progress could be made.

"Education is very important as well", she said. "We hope to combine efforts with the EU in this area. And also culture, we are talking less and less about culture in the EU. I do not understand why".

Asked about the timetable, Mrs Kunéva said, "the Bulgarian team is as ready as an army" and by 4 April the text of the Accession treaty should be fully ready, translated and approved by the Bulgarian government.

"We have a very strict timetable, but it is not different from the one the 10 others had", the Minister said.

If Bulgaria, together with Romania, does manage to sign the Accession Treaty, which lays out the terms on membership for the countries, on 25 April, the two countries will become respectively the 26th and the 27th member of the EU on 1 January 2007.

And the European Commission will discuss on Tuesday (22 February) in Strasbourg Bulgaria's forthcoming signature of the Accession Treaty, and take its final decision concerning the date on which it should be signed.